The Hacker: The magician to conjure up when chips are down is Pelz

Caption competition
Caption competition
View past winners of our Sports caption competition
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Sport blogs

iBet: Stoke face a Valencia side on form

Stoke have lost their last four in the league and play a Valencia side that's third in La Liga.

Rugby League: World Club Challenge raises profits, and eyebrows

After 40-odd years of watching and writing about this game, I thought I had my eyebrows under contro...

iBet: AC Milan’s lead at the top looks temporary

Juventus lost the lead of Serie A in Italy at the weekend by virtue of their game with Bologne being...

My short game has long been an object of derision. One professional actually gaveme my money back after a chipping lesson. He said I was worse at the end of it than I had been before. That hurt. I can take criticism and have learned to cope with the mockery, but I cannot stand pity.

My work with the wedge has improved slightly but there is a long way to go. It is more of a mental problem than one of technique so the battle is within, but it is a battle I am determined to win.

Every hacker should consider joining in, because the clear message from Royal Birkdale this weekend is that the short game holds the key to solving some of our miseries.

Top pros have long been susceptible to a bit of guru worship and the latest coaching fashion is to concentrate on pitching and chipping.

Lee Westwood's recent improvement has been linked to the close-in coaching he has been receiving from the former Tour pro Mark Roe. Roe has discovered the knack of sorting out the short game for players and charges £300 an hour, plus VAT, for his services. Don't bother to try to get a quick 10 minutes from him. He onlydoes a minimum of a three-hour lesson.

I don't know how much Stan Utley charges, but the former US Tour pro is credited with a major contribution to Sergio Garcia's big improvement around the green.

The daddy of all the short-game magicians is Dave Pelz, who has been at it for years. His most successful pupil is Phil Mickelson, who was desperate to win a major when he engaged Pelz in 2003. Since then he has won three.

Pelz is an ex-Nasa physicist who has brought a scientific mind to how to play the final 60 yards of a hole, where 80 per cent of your strokes are taken. He has a string of short-game schools around the US. I've been to one at Boca Raton in Florida and it's very impressive. The week before last he opened his first school in Europe, and I was lucky enough to have some tuition not only from the man himself but from his team of instructors, who included his son Eddie.

The school is situated in the new Killeen Castle golf complex in Co Meath, which contains a superb Jack Nicklaus-designed course. The facilities are already first-class and they are in the process of building a luxury hotel around the recently refurbished castle.

The Pelz school occupies 11 acres and they offer clinics of one, two or three days. These are conducted very thoroughly, with a frank appraisal givenat the end.

I cannot say yet what effect Pelz's lessons are going to have, because through being at the Open I haven't had chance yet to put them into practice, but I shall be reporting my progress.

My son was with me at Killeen Castle, and while we were having a drink withEddie Pelz, my son said tohim: "Eddie, you and I have something in common. You are the son of the best chipper in the world and I am the son of the worst."

That may give you some idea of the size of the task.

p.corrigan@independent.co.uk

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

How an abortion divided America

How an abortion divided America

Single mother who took a pill to end her pregnancy is now fighting a landmark prosecution in a conservative state
Can you master a language in a weekend?

Can you master a language in a weekend?

Ed Cooke insists he can use his techniques as a memory expert to help novices learn even the hardest tongues.
The 10 best heaters

The 10 best heaters

From the DeLonghi Retro Fan Heater to the Dimplex MicroFire
Coming soon to a shelf near you: The publishing industry has gone mad for film-style trailers

Coming soon to a shelf near you

The publishing industry has gone mad for film-style trailers
Mad, bad and delightful to know: How Lord Byron became a cultural superstar

How Lord Byron became a cultural superstar

As the poet takes centre stage in the West End, Boyd Tonkin looks into the life of the outspoken champion of the poor
Did they all live happily ever after? That's up to you...

Did they all live happily ever after? That's up to you...

New digital novel will overturn centuries of literary tradition by allowing readers to choose how they would like story to end
How to look good for less – Primark in copycat row

How to look good for less – Primark in copycat row

With London Fashion Week starting tomorrow, designers are closeted in studios putting finishing touches to their collections
James Lawton: Arsène and Arsenal are living in the past

James Lawton

Arsène and Arsenal are living in the past
How Docherty's resurgent Reds beat Dutch greats

How Docherty's resurgent Reds beat Dutch greats

United have met Ajax only once before in Europe, in 1976. The key performers recall an electric occasion
Civil war at Ajax

Civil war at Ajax

A rift between two club legends has torn the Dutch giants apart
Lewis Moody: For an idea of where England are headed, look at Wales now

Lewis Moody column

For an idea of where England are headed, look at Wales now
Geoff Toovey: Little gem with huge incentive to become king of the world

Geoff Toovey interview

Little gem with huge incentive to become king of the world
Picture preview: Portrait of London

Portrait of London

Picture preview
No secularism please, we're British

No secularism please, we're British

Arguments about the role of religion in national life have recently acquired a new urgency
Harold Tillman: 'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'

Harold Tillman interview

'Chinese tourists can save the high street – if we let them'